his is a question which will be readily answered by the technically competent staff of a large company. However, most small businesses will not have the competence to even know that different operating systems could be at work alongside web hosting. Two of the most commonly deployed operating systems are Windows and Linux.The most important parameters in choosing between the two are the scripting language and database. But for most basic websites, this doesn't make a difference. For example, if your website comprises just HTML pages they would work equally well with either of these operating systems. Anything beyond simple HTML pages, goes either the Windows way or the Linux way.If your web pages are designed to interact with a backend database, and if you intend to use Perl, PHP or CGI, you will ideally need a Linux host. However, if you intend to use ASP, ASP.NET or any of the other Microsoft technologies, you need a Windows host. Microsoft technology products will not run on Linux, so for sites using ASP or ASP.net, a windows based server is a must. Most open source languages like PHP run on both platforms, but they are better hosted on Linux.

The choice of operating system will also be governed by the database that you intend to use. If you plan to use MySQL, you have the liberty of implementing it on Windows as well as Linux. However, should you decide to opt for Linux because of any other considerations, you will not be able to use Access nor will you be able to ever migrate from MySQL to Access. One big point that goes in favor of MySQL is the availability of online tools that allow you to tweak the database very easily.If your website does not use sophisticated backend languages or databases, the choice of operating system isn’t an issue at all. Once again, if you use a thin client and something like JavaScript to handle the front end of the application, or you wish to add Flash animation or multimedia clips, If you can have a Windows for Linux host.If you are a small business and cost is a serious consideration, the choice between Windows and Linux is clear. Windows is a proprietary operating system and needs a license to install and use. This makes it a slightly costly proposition. On the other hand, Linux is a part of the open source initiative and therefore less costly. Most of the server side softwares used on Linux are free / cheap, making it affordable to small businesses. Even better, PHP is the most popular scripting language and there are tons of free scripts available. Most control panels like cPanel comes with hundreds of free PHP scripts, which are eay to install and customize.

So the bottom line is - if you are going to use ASP/ .net / MSSQL or any other Microsoft softwares for web development, stick with Windows OS. Otherwise, Linux is a cheaper and safer option for web hosting. PHP / MySQL sites hosted on Linux OS is the default choice for most small businesses around the world.